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Abstract:

The present subject matter relates to a method for cultivating a new
grafted cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii) cultivar "Red Top" including
the steps of: a) selecting a cross combination between "GG02481" and
"GG027977"; b) crossing the combination, harvesting cactus fruits after a
mature stage has been passed, disinfecting the cactus fruits, selecting
and sterilizing seeds contained in the cactus fruits, and sowing the
seeds; c) obtaining germinated seedlings; d) selecting only colored
seedlings from the germinated seedlings; e) first-grafting the selected
colored seedlings onto small virus-free Hylocereus trigonus in test
tubes; and f) covering light-shielding film on the cultured seedlings to
harden the seedlings and secondarily grafting only the seedlings onto
Hylocereus trigonus.

Claims:

1. A method of cultivating a grafted cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii)
cultivar "Red Top" comprising: a) selecting a cross combination between
Gymnocalycium mihanovichii "GG02481" as a male sterile line (mother
plant) having a bright red bulb and a solid tissue, and Gymnocalycium
mihanovichii "GG027977" as a restorer line (father plant) having a red
bulb and a black spotted growing point and lots of white villi in
areoles; b) crossing the combination, harvesting cactus fruits at a state
of being not opened at the shells thereof after a mature stage has been
passed, disinfecting the cactus fruits having the shells in a flame of
ethanol, selecting and sterilizing seeds contained in the cactus fruits,
and sowing the seeds in petri dishes in a clean-bench, each petri dish
having medium divided thereinto; c) culturing the sowed seeds to obtain
germinated seedlings; d) selecting only colored seedlings from the
germinated seedlings; e) first-grafting the selected colored seedlings
onto small virus-free Hylocereus trigonus in test tubes, supportedly
placing the Hylocereus trigonus onto which the seedlings are grafted in
media divided into sterilized test tubes, and culturing the grafted
seedlings in a culture room; and f) covering light-shielding film on the
cultured seedlings to harden the seedlings, secondarily grafting only the
seedlings onto Hylocereus trigonus grown in an outside greenhouse, and
cultivating the grafted seedlings in the outside greenhouse.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining of the
seedlings in (c) is carried out in a culture room with a constant
temperature and humidity of 26.degree. C. and under the conditions of
2,500 lux of illumination intensity and 16 hours of day length.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the secondarily grafting of
the seedlings in (f) comprises selecting the seedlings each having a
diameter of about 1 cm.

Description:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(e), this application claims the
benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/282,111, filed on
Dec. 17, 2009 in the name of Chang-Hui Jo, which is entitled "A NOVEL
CACTUS, GYMNOCALYCIUM MIHANOVICHII "RED TOP." The provisional application
is hereby incorporated by reference as if it were fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present subject matter relates to a method of cultivating a
grafted cactus cultivar and the grafted cactus cultivar cultivated by the
method. In particular, the present subject matter relates to a method of
cultivating a grafted cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii) cultivar "Red
Top" and the grafted cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii) cultivar "Red
Top" cultivated by the method. The "Red Top" has a vivid red bulb and has
good adaptability to growth environment to provide a high ornamental
value.

[0004] 2. Background of the Related Art

[0005] More than 200 genera of plants exist in the cactus family,
Cactaceae. Cactuses are classified into succulent plants in view of their
shape, but since the plants contained in Cactaceae have been grouped by
their numerous kinds, cactuses are generally separated from the rest of
succulent plants.

[0006] Most cactuses produce spines not from their leaves, but from their
areoles, and they have spherical, flat-round, and cylindrical stems,
which are very unique and are not found in general plants.

[0007] Since the cactuses conserve lots of water in their tissues for a
long time, they can be adapted to dry climate for a long time. Further,
deep wrinkles are formed on the surfaces of most cactuses, which can
serve as a radiator with adjusting the cactus's temperature and
preventing the temperature from being exceedingly raised by radiant heat
therearound.

[0008] The cactus has reticulate xylem looking beautiful, and thus, craft
products are made with the reticulate xylem of the cactus.

[0009] The cactuses grow to a variety of shapes. For example, they grow to
a ball-like shape, a rectangular shape, a pentagonal shape, large and
small protrusions-branching shape, a long shape like a strap, and so on.

[0010] The areoles formed in the cactuses are standards in classifying the
cactuses from the rest of succulent plants. That is, the spines of the
cactuses are produced from the areoles, but the spines of the rest of
succulent plants like "Crown of thorns" are the results of the growth of
a portion of epidermis, while having no areoles formed thereon.

[0011] The spines of the cactuses have big differences in their color,
length, thickness, and number in accordance with the species of the
cactuses. Most cactuses have 1 or 2 large and strong central spines
arising from the center of the areole and 5 to 20 small radial spines
located around the central spines.

[0012] The flowers of the cactuses have various leaf colors and also
distinct colors, so that they look more beautiful than those of other
plants. The flowers of the cactuses generally have a flowering period of
more than one month, but some cactuses have a flowering period continued
during spring, summer and fall. However, the flowering period of a
blossom of flower of the cactuses is shorter than that of other plants.

[0013] Grafted cactuses like Gymnocalycium mihanovichii, Chamaecereus
silvestrii, and so on are cactus cultivars that are produced and sold by
new cultivar cultivating technology in Korea, and they occupy about 70%
of the world market of the grafted cactuses. Referring especially to the
export percentages by colors of the grafted cactus, Gymnocalycium
mihanovichii, red is 50%, yellow is 15%, orange is 15%, pink is 15%, and
black and red is 5%. However, the color preferences of the grafted
cactuses are different by countries, ages and sexes, and recently, the
preferences for yellow, pink and orange colors have increased.
Gymnocalycium mihanovichii used as a scion of the grafted cactus is a
varitas separated from crossed seedlings and is not autotrophic because
of the nonexistence of chlorophyll. Thus, they are cultivated by taking a
cormlet, i.e. dry set, and grafting the cormlet onto a green rootstock.

[0014] However, they are often infected with viruses due to the nutrition
growth through the grafting, so that various problems have occurred in
the colors and shapes of the grafted cactuses during their growth.

[0015] To solve these problems, there have been needs in the art for
development of production technology for new cultivars having various
bulb colors and shapes and for improvement of various technologies to
enhance ornamental values thereof.

[0016] Accordingly, the present inventor has made various studies to
develop a method for cultivating a new cactus cultivar providing a bulb
having a new color and shape through stable reproduction, and as a
result, it is provided a new grafted cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii)
cultivar "Red Top" that has a vivid red bulb and has good adaptability to
growth environment and provides a high ornamental value.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The present subject matter has been made in view of the
above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and it is an object
of the present subject matter to provide a grafted cactus (Gymnocalycium
mihanovichii) cultivar "Red Top" that has good adaptability to growth
environment, provides high ornamental value, and has a red bulb, while it
has no change in color by small environmental variation.

[0018] It is another object of the present subject matter to provide a
method for cultivating a grafted cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii)
cultivar "Red Top" wherein progenies of the crosses of the cactuses
contained in Gymnocalycium mihanovichii are crossed and cultivated
through tissue culture technology using virus-free seedlings, and wherein
the cultivating method is carried out by selecting cactus cultivars after
the characteristics of the cactus cultivars have been investigated in a
test greenhouse in accordance with their color uniformity, shape
stability, differentiation, and the like, and in this case, especially,
the new grafted cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii) cultivar "Red Top" of
the present subject matter has passed an adaptation test to cultivating
sites of farms, such that the preferences of the cultivators and the
adaptability to the environment are satisfied to increase a consumer's
preference for the color uniformity, shape stability and ornamental value
of the new cactus cultivar of the present subject matter.

[0019] To accomplish the above objects, provided herein is a method for
cultivating a new grafted cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii) cultivar
"Red Top" including the steps of: a) selecting a cross combination
between Gymnocalycium mihanovichii "GG02481" as a male sterile line
(mother plant) having a bright red bulb and a solid tissue and
Gymnocalycium mihanovichii "GG027977" as a restorer line (father plant)
having a red bulb and a black spotted growing point and lots of white
villi in areoles; b) crossing the combination, harvesting cactus fruits
at a state of being not opened at the shells thereof after a mature stage
has been passed, disinfecting the cactus fruits having the shells in a
flame of ethanol, selecting and sterilizing seeds contained in the cactus
fruits, and sowing the seeds in petri dishes in a clean-bench, each petri
dish having medium 30 ml divided thereinto; c) culturing the sowed seeds
to obtain germinated seedlings; d) selecting only colored seedlings from
the germinated seedlings; e) first-grafting the selected colored
seedlings onto small virus-free Hylocereus trigonus in test tubes,
supportedly placing the Hylocereus trigonus onto which the seedlings are
grafted in media divided into sterilized test tubes, and culturing the
grafted seedlings in a culture room; and f) covering light-shielding film
on the cultured seedlings to harden the seedlings, secondarily grafting
only the seedlings onto Hylocereus trigonus grown to a length of 14 cm to
15 cm in an outside greenhouse, and cultivating the grafted seedlings in
the outside greenhouse.

[0020] In an embodiment of the method, the secondarily grafting of the
seedlings in (f) includes selecting the seedlings each having a diameter
in a range of 0.7 cm to 1 cm.

[0021] In another embodiment, the obtaining of the seedlings in (c) is
carried out in a culture room with constant temperature and humidity of
26° C., under the conditions of 2,500 lux of illumination
intensity and 16 hours of day length.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The patent or application file contains at least one drawing
executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application
publication with color drawings will be provided by the Office upon
request and payment of the necessary fee.

[0023] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present
subject matter will be apparent from the following detailed description
of the preferred embodiments of the present subject matter, in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0024] FIG. 1 displays a photograph showing a front end portion of a
grafted cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii) cultivar "Red Top" cultivated
by the method of the present subject matter; and

[0026] The present subject matter is achieved by selecting and crossing
cactuses having excellent characteristics from genetic resources
collected so as to cultivate a grafted cactus cultivar having a bright
red bulb, an excellent ornamental value, a solid tissue and a high
productivity among the grafted cactuses Gymnocalycium mihanovichii.

[0027] First, Gymnocalycium mihanovichii "GG02481" used as a male sterile
line (mother plant) has a bright red bulb and a solid tissue, and
Gymnocalycium mihanovichii "GG027977" used as a restorer line (father
plant) has an red bulb, a black spotted growing point, lots of white
villi in areoles and a deep incision.

[0028] Cactuses maintain and reproduce their species through propagation
by seed and vegetative propagation (asexual propagation). The propagation
by seed is a process of obtaining seeds by crossing and sowing the seeds
to produce new offspring, but since most of cactuses are not able to have
self-fertilization, they have only cross-fertilization.

[0029] Through the self-fertilization, the genetic traits like the
maternal side are expressed by the seeds, but since the
cross-fertilization is achieved only by hybrid crossing, genetic
segregation occurs such that the traits of the new cultivar are not
expressed in next generation.

[0030] According to the present subject matter, the new cactus cultivar
offshoots are grafted onto Hylocereus trigonus and have the vegetative
propagation to pass the same genetic traits to the next generation.
Especially, since the grafted cactus of the present subject matter is
propagated through the vegetative propagation (grafting), the same
characteristics are expressed again to the next generation of the new
cactus cultivar.

[0031] According to the present subject matter, crossing is performed with
a crossing combination between a male sterile line (mother plant) and a
restorer line (father plant) selected in the present subject matter, and
after a mature stage of about 30 days has passed, cactus fruits at a
state of being not opened at the shells thereof are harvested. The cactus
fruits having the shells are disinfected in a flame of ethanol of 70%.
Next, the pulps and seeds contained in the cactus fruits are selected and
sterilized, and the sterilized seeds are sowed in petri dishes each
having a diameter of 10 cm in a clean-bench, each petri dish having
medium 30 ml divided thereinto. Then, the sowed seeds are cultured to
obtain germinated seedlings, and the step of obtaining the seedlings is
carried out in a constant temperature and humidity culture room of
26° C. on the conditions of intensity of illumination of 2,500 lux
and daylength of 16 hours.

[0032] Next, only colored seedlings are selected from the germinated
seedlings, and the selected colored seedlings are first grafted onto
small virus-free Hylocereus trigonus in test tubes. After that, the
Hylocereus trigonus onto which the seedlings are grafted are supportedly
placed in media divided into sterilized test tubes, and the grafted
seedlings are cultured in a culture room for 4 months. Next,
light-shielding film is covered on the cultured seedlings to harden the
seedlings, and the seedlings are secondarily grafted onto Hylocereus
trigonus grown to a length of 14 cm to 15 cm in an outside greenhouse. In
this step, the seedlings having a diameter in a range of 0.7 cm to 1 cm
are selected to cultivate the new grafted cactus (Gymnocalycium
mihanovichii) cultivar "Red Top" according to the present subject matter.
According to the present subject matter, when the seedlings have such
diameter range are grafted, the loss rate of the colored seedlings can be
minimized, and further, most appropriate grafting time is obtained.

[0033] Hereinafter, an explanation on a method for cultivating a new
grafted cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii) cultivar "Red Top" is in
detail given with reference to the preferred embodiment of the present
subject matter. However, it should be noted that the scope of the present
subject matter is not limited to the examples. They should be considered
as merely being illustrative and representative for the present subject
matter.

[0034] Gymnocalycium mihanovichii "GG02481" having a bright red bulb and a
solid tissue was selected as a male sterile line (mother plant), and
Gymnocalycium mihanovichii "GG027977" having a red bulb, a black spotted
growing point, lots of white villi in areoles and a deep incision was
selected as a restorer line (father plant).

[0035] The combination is crossed, and after a mature stage of about 30
days had passed, cactus fruits at a state of being not opened at the
shells thereof were harvested. The cactus fruits having the shells were
disinfected in a flame of ethanol of 70%.

[0036] Next, the seeds contained in the cactus fruits were selected and
sterilized, and the sterilized seeds were sowed in petri dishes in a
clean bench, each petri dish having medium 30 ml divided thereinto.
Especially, the selected seeds were put and sterilized in the medium like
Hyponex, Sucrose, Agar, and so on, and they were sowed by 50 seeds in the
petri dishes in the clean bench, each petri dish having the medium of 30
ml divided thereinto and having a diameter of 10 cm. Then, the sowed
seeds were cultured for 30 days in a constant temperature and humidity
culture room of 26° C. under the conditions of 2,500 lux of
illumination intensity and 16 hours of day length, thereby obtaining 65
seedlings.

[0037] Next, only colored seedlings were selected from the germinated
seedlings, and the selected colored seedlings were grafted onto small
virus-free Hylocereus trigonus cultured in test tubes. After that, medium
of 9 ml was divided in each of the sterilized test tubes, and the
seedlings grafted onto the virus-free Hylocereus trigonus were
transferred to sterilized test tubes. The grafted seedlings were cultured
in the culture room having the above-mentioned conditions for 4 months.

[0038] Next, light-shielding film having light shielding capacity of 50%
was covered on the cultured seedlings each having a diameter in a range
of 0.7 cm to 1 cm to harden the seedlings for 2 weeks, and the seedlings
were secondarily grafted onto Hylocereus trigonus having a length of 15
cm grown in an outside greenhouse, thereby selecting 42 grafted cactuses
having high adaptability to environment and excellent ornamental values.

[0039] The grafted cactuses selected through the tests of the Cactus
Research Institute of the present applicant were designated as a new
cultivar through a general farm validation test and a cultivar exhibition
by a new cultivar selection committee of Korea Rural Development
Administration and it was named as "Red Top".

[0040] The grafted cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii) cultivar "Red Top"
cultivated by the present method had a flat round bulb shape and vivid
bright red color bulbs, which provides an excellent ornamental value. The
provided grafted cactus had red mother bulb and red cormlets and had RHS
color chart No. 42A. The provided grafted cactus had 8 ribs and its
incision shape is triangle and its spine was light brown and
semi-erected. The spine length was 0.2 cm, which was smaller than the
control Gymnocalycium mihanovichii "Red King". The provided grafted
cactus was able to produce 14.4 cormlets per plant, which had about the
same productivity as the control "Red King". Bulb diameter increase was
37.1 mm, which was larger than 36.8 mm of the control.

[0041] As apparent from Table 4, the grafted cactus (Gymnocalycium
mihanovichii) cultivar "Red Top" cultivated by the method of EXAMPLE 1
maintained their genetic traits even though years are increased.

[0042] As apparent from Table 5, according to the biological
characteristics of the grafted cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii)
cultivar "Red Top" cultivated by the present method, the grafted cactus
"Red Top" had a larger mother bulb size, the smaller number of ribs and a
shorter spine length than the control "Red King". Also, the grafted
cactus "Red Top" had the attached position of cormlets different from
that of the control. Meanwhile, other biological characteristics of the
grafted cactus cultivar "Red Top" were expressed in a similar manner to
the control.

[0043] As set forth in the foregoing, the grafted cactus (Gymnocalycium
mihanovichii) cultivar "Red Top" cultivated by the present method has a
flat round and red bulb, which is excellent in view of its ornamental
value, and they have red mother bulb and red cormlets, the red having RHS
color chart No. 42A as compared with No. 45B of control. Further, the
provided cultivar has 8 ribs, as compared with 9 ribs of the control. It
shows distinctive differences in its appearance and light brown and
semi-erected spines, each spine having a length of 0.2 cm, which is
shorter than 0.4 cm of the control "Red King", and produces 14.4 cormlets
per plant, which has about the same productivity as the control "Red
King".

[0044] It is found that the present method can provide a new grafted
cactus (Gymnocalycium mihanovichii) cultivar "Red Top" and genetic traits
of the cultivar cultivated by the method are expressed again in the next
generation of the new cactus cultivar.

[0045] Although the present subject matter has been described with
preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that variations and
modifications may be resorted to as will be apparent to those skilled in
the art. Such variations and modifications are to be considered within
the purview and the scope of the claims appended hereto.